At a game yesterday, the catcher threw out the runner advancing to third by quite a bit. However, the player covering third did not put his glove down low enough and the runner slid under the tag. Does the third baseman get charged with an error or does this fall under the "misjudgement" rule? By the way, this is a 12 yr. old team. Thanks.

(b) An error shall be charged against any fielder when he catches a thrown ball or a ground ball in time to put out the batter runner and fails to tag first base or the batter runner.

Even with that rule, if the play is close, most scorekeeprs will not consider the play to be an error on a fielder. This rule is generally applied when the ball clearly beats the runner and would have resulted in an out had the fielder properly tagged the runner or a forced base.

In your description it sounds like the ball arrived in plenty of time, so you could charge an error.

One exception would be if the runner was attempting to advance due to a passed ball or wild pitch. In that situation, credit the runner's advancement to the PB or WP.Text

Careful about that PB or WP comment. If the catcher recovered the ball and had the throw there in plenty of time to get the runner and through the fault of the fielder the tag was not made, it can still be an error on F5.

BUT, it would have to be VERY obvious for me to give the error to F5 in either play.

Under the provisions of Rule 10.13 there is no specific mention of missing a tag on a strict tag play (no force on the runner). In the play you mentioned there was apparently no force on the runner, so Rule 10.13(c) doesn't apply. Rule 10.14, which explain when NOT to charge an error, doesn't deal with the slide under a tag, either. It appears to be a misjudgment on the part of the fielder, not an error.

I think Rule 10.13 should be specific: (Proposed Note) "When a fielder fails to tag a sliding runner and, in the scorer's opinion, there was adequate time to make the play, an error shall be charged." Or, Rule 10.14 should be specific: (Proposed Note) "Do not charge an error when a runner slides under a tag unless the runner was forced to advance."